Your WiFi isn’t as secure as you think

That secure wifi password is almost no security at all!

WiFi is ubiquitous, easy and part of your everyday life. We all talked about how insecure WEP was years ago with the change to WPA2. What does that mean to you, not much really but it reduces the chances of someone intercepting your WiFi.

Now let me ask you a question, would you ever want a stranger to have access to your WiFi at home or at work? The answer is likely no; I’m sorry to inform you that it’s really easy.

If you were not already aware, most IoT devices lack security, things like cameras, light bulbs, printers, google home and Alexa speakers all can be compromised; the last thing we want to do is make it easier for anyone.

With a few clicks of the keyboard pull the WiFi information from your Windows PC. No special tools, no hacking skills required, you just have to know how to ask. It only takes about ten seconds, and two commands to get it.

command 1 – netsh wlan show profile

command 2 – netsh wlan show profile wiwinetworkname key=clear

This is why RADIUS is the minimum level of security that should be used on any business network!

It’s also important for me to mention, likely your IT department can execute these commands without your knowledge. For privacy reasons I recommend clients create a ‘guest‘ network in their home and use it for your work laptop, this function is supported by most modern routers.

Here are three key take-aways:

RADIUS

RADIUS is the minimum level of security for any business WiFi network. RADIUS does not store the keys in plain text and leverage the user’s computer account for access.

Lock your Computer

On a Windows PC, Windows Key + L will lock the computer and prevent someone who walks past it from easily executing such commands

Have a Guest Network at home

If your company provides a laptop you use at home, you might want to consider setting up a guest network for it.

About the author

Robert Picard is a hat loving, coffee drinking father of three with almost 20 years of IT Support experience. Living in and around Ottawa providing IT services with Demand ITS for nearly 15 years. Robert can be frequently recognized by his selection of hats at various locations around the city.

Robert Picard, from Ottawa. Frequently referred to as the Man in the Hat